THE PENTANGLE (1st) RARE Orig UK 68 Transatlantic EX LP

	£		91
	$		121

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Artist or Band: THE PENTANGLE

Album Title: The Pentangle

Producer(s): Shel Talmy.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Let No Man Steal Your Thyme; Bells; Hear My Call; Pentangling.

Side 2: Mirage; Way Behind the Sun; Bruton Town; Waltz.

Label/Format: Transatlantic – original white and purple format with inner ridge texturing. The outer ring to the rim is smoother but with some rustic texturing as well, this has effected the text on the lower part of the label on side one as can be seen. Ths is not wear as such, the text characters are lost on the rough part only.

Label Condition: Stunning clean examples that show only very light and faint spindle marks with no wear around the hole area whatsoever. (Please see label scans.)

Cat Number: TRA 162.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 143 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Getting very scarce, and this copy will be difficult to find much better. Many early copies suffer groove-wear distortions from less than worthy equipment of the time. An album of beautiful sound with complex acoustic instrumentation that was so easily damaged. Also Transatlantic records were not always the very best for clean pressings, often variable, some superb, some less so. This plays very well indeed with very little unwanted and was a joy. A beautiful listening experience from one of the premier UK folk acts of this period.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: TRA 162 A2 / TRA 162 B1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Along with Fairport Convention the premier league of folk bands around this time. Pentangle had a unique sound blending folk with blues and jazz influences. A hugely talented five piece band who were: Terry Cox; Bert Jansch; Jacqui McShee; John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. All virtuoso performers, Thompson especially for me stands out as one of the finest upright bass players ever. His style is so distinctive and his guest appearances on various other albums can always be distinctly heard which is credit to an acoustic bass player. Jacqui McShee too has a wonderful expressive voice with possibly the purest and controlled vocal ever put to a folk record. Starting out more as a blues singer she began it all in the club and pub circuit. This debut album has a foreword on the back cover by John Peel, an obvious admirer of this band. A debut LP more than fulfilling the huge potential of all the members, this is arguably their finest album, but all their catalogue is magnificent. This copy is a beauty and is the much rarer fully laminated version, slightly later ones had only the front lamination. Not only that, this one has probably the least laminate problems than any I have seen or offered before. Most-all have large areas of non-adhesion or blistering. The spine the area usually most affected, this has very little at all and for sheer good looks, this is near unbeatable. The labels have a textured finish too, later pressings became smooth all over. The actual record is in super shape, it has lovely clean playing surfaces with few marks, any present are tiny and non-sounding surface traces seen under light. It sounds marvellous too with truly studio-quality sound values and quality production. Any surface sounds are few, light and minor and this too on a record that does have some very quiet passages, some almost silent infact. A vintage classic folk album, arguably the very best within its genre, that could justifiably be described as ground-breaking. A unique record and band, one for the discerning collector.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and for once, not impaired by major laminate lifting from which this cover usually suffers. This is a single format with FULL lamination, most found have the front only laminated, but the early examples had both sides protected – a bit like the first and second versions of Cream’s ‘Disraeli Gears’. It was printed and made in England by Robert Stace. The more common ones with the back exposed wear badly and few escape ugly ringwear and major rubbing to the black surface. This one has no no such worries and looks fantastic. I would be highly confident, this cover would be a major upgrade for many, to own the fully laminated version without significant lifting or blistering is a real rarity. Just about ever example I have seen has it. Even though protected, it remains a delicate sleeve and does not tolerate abuse or heavy handling well. This is a real beauty and has to be the best I have ever seen.

Cover Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides have fresh and very shiny laminate that retains lovely clarity. The front has strong whiteness with mimimal traces of any discolour or yellowing. In terms of this cover, that I feel most collectors will be more than familiar with, it has exceptional adhesion. Most have substantial lifting or tightening that form large ugly blisters which are even more unsightly on the black back. This one has hardly any of real note. The almost devoid of any, a minusule trace and that is being critical with just the finest of faint slivers on the very edge fold (but look hard). The back almost the same with just a slightly thicker line on the fold but most would not even mention it it’s so minor. Few will even get close to this and for looks it’s fantastic. In terms of creasing, well this is also exceptional with very few and this is a thin cover and prone. Just a couple of half moons on the front and barely any at all on the back which is great news being black and revealing. A few tiny edge ones of course are near unavoidable. The opening edge sees the laminate end short of full width, but the exposed strips have not aged or discoloured at all. The back has a fine rim dull seen under light and I have yet to see one that hasn’t. The shine is fantastic on both sides and good looks, this is up there with the very best.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both have avoided any noteworthy wear and are unusually straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp, little wear and no feathering with no trimming. Record entered on this right edge.

Spine and Text: Absolutely fantastic: solid but thinly made but has no compression and the text perfectly centred. Fully laminated and all text perfect and unworn.

Corners: All four show very little wear, any tiny amounts present is confined to the very tips. All retain very fine shape and definition.

Cover Summary: Age defying and looking exceptional with the lack of blistering. This, I know I have mentioned several times, but is worth it, because few avoid it and it makes such a difference to the appearance. Never one that ages well and very intolerant of any over handling or poor storage, this should please most-all collectors. Do not underestimate the difficulty in finding the fully laminated version as well. The plain white inner is around excellent with mild age toning but no creasing or edge splits.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX with just ultra fine and faint surface traces under light. One fine mark near the beginning has three or four ultra faint ticks that are practically lost in the sound, those being all I heard. A lovely copy that appears very modestly played. A clean and heavy pressed record that retains a very fine shine and is still very black. A visually pleasing early pressed record that should please many, if not most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - even Thompson’s double bass is fully focused, deep and vibrant - it can rattle speakers not up to the job. McShee’s vocals are pristine, with an in-the-room quality, this lady is up there with the very best ever. No other clicks were noted and a fine pressing, any surface sounds registering little and this is an acoustic album - yes real instruments sounding quite breathtaking. There are several very to ultra quite moments with minimal instrumentation e.g. Thompson’s double bass solo, silence on these parts is a big ask and hard to achieve. Transatlantic records were not always the most reliable for quiet pressings but this has few traces of crackle and will be hard to find substantially better. Both channels are clean and unstressed, I feel very sure this record has been played sparingly and has been generally well looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, indeed if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this truly wonderful album. This record will prove very difficult to find better and is strongly recommended.

End Piece: A folk classic for sure, this band were in a class of their own and their high reputation has never diminished – and I can endorse that fully after watching them play live fairly recently – a truly wonderful evening. Quality songs, vocals and musicians on a very clean, modestly played record. The late, great John Peel concludes his review on the back cover with ‘Play this record to those you love’ - truer words have rarely been spoken.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon 2M moving magnet cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.